Divergence
by Peanutbuttertoast1
Summary: During Sixth Year, Hermione starts to notice that something's not right with Draco Malfoy. But a chance meeting one night on the Astronomy Tower opens her eyes and starts a chain reaction that changes both their fates forever.


Hermione had no idea how she ended up here, alone in the Astonomy Tower...but here she was and she was most definitely alone...

The Quidditch Match had been a fairly good one, as far as Quidditch matches went...Gryffindor had beat Slytherin and it was Ron's first game as the Gryffindor Keeper...Harry had led Ron and herself believe that he had poured a bit of Felix Felicis into Ron's goblet this morning at breakfast, and it had worked...It was a clear case of the placebo affect working its own form of magic and Ron had been spectacular today...easily helping Gryffindor to the win.

What had happened afterwards had been anything but wonderful. The House celebration had given Ron the attention he had always been starved for, being in his brother's shadows and then Harry's...seeing their classmates chant his name over and over again...it had brightened Hermione's heart for her best friend, right up until the moment he'd snogged Lavender Brown.

She hadn't meant to send her flock of canaries at Ronald...she really hadn't...but she had been so hurt, confused and then...pissed. It was hard to think logically when all you wanted to do was poke someone's eyes out for being an oblivious git.

So here she was, standing in the Astronomy Tower, past curfew and not really giving two fucks about it at all...at least until she heard a noise coming from behind her. Disillusioning herself and casting a silencing charm on her shoes, Hermione moved over to the far corner of the parapet and waited to see who it was disturbing her pity party.

The answer was surprising...she'd have known that shock of blonde hair anywhere. Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be a shadow of his former self this year...and if Harry was to be believed, it was due to Malfoy taking the Dark Mark. Hermione shook her head in exasperation...Draco Malfoy, a Death Eater? That was about as likely as Ron getting on the Gryffindor Quidditch team without her help.

So she sat back and watched...and waited to see if Malfoy noticed anyone was there with him as he gazed out into the night sky...his body filled with tension as his hands gripped the railing and the wind raced around his body...but he didn't shiver or act like he felt the cold at all...he just seemed to be indifferent, unaffected...it was odd and disconcerting all at the same time.

As Hermione watched Malfoy, she was struck with how handsome he was. Oh, she'd known it...for years...Draco Malfoy was the perfect male specimen. Tall, lean, aristocratic features, gorgeous eyes and hair that looked like silk and probably felt just as soft...she wasn't an idiot...the sad part was his horrid personality destroyed his looks and made them seem almost ugly. But here and now, in the silence of the Astronomy Tower as the moon reflected off his hair and features, Hermione couldn't suppress the shiver that raced down her body as she became aware of Draco Malfoy for the first time ever...

It was about an hour later that he finally left...and Hermione had held out a sigh of relief as she watched him walk down the steps and out of her sight. She waited for another twenty minutes before she followed and headed to Gryffindor Tower still disillusioned. She wasn't foolish, and she wasn't about to lose points for being out after curfew.

This started a routine of sorts over the next month. Hermione would find herself ensconced on the Astronomy Tower, disillusioned and silenced and she would wait with bated breath for Draco to show up...which he did more often than not. His appearance was starting to change...and his features were becoming more gaunt by the day. It was then Hermione began to notice that Draco didn't eat much in the Great Hall...and she actually felt herself becoming concerned for the ferret despite herself.

So she started going to the kitchens and had Winky prepare a small basket of treats once a week, and she left them on the stone bench on the edge of the parapet where Draco could find them. The first time he'd come across the basket, he had been highly suspicious...as she knew he would be. Hermione was careful to make sure there was no way he could trace the offering back to her so she mastered shrinking charms wandlessly...so her wands signature couldn't be traced if Malfoy decided to run specific diagnostic spells...and it worked. After the first couple weeks, she could see he was actually eating a bit better...and seemed to appreciate the offerings left for him.

After about a month, Hermione decided to write a small note with the basket...this took a bit more work as she didn't know if Malfoy would recognized her handwriting...but not wanting to take the chance, Hermione created her own spell to copy and paste words from the library texts onto a piece of parchment. From there she copied the completed parchment wandlessly...it had taken a couple weeks to perfect the spell work, but the overall result had been worth the look on Malfoy's face when he'd read the words on the paper. The shock and then small smile had made Hermione's heart race...and she felt that maybe she was making a difference in some small way.

As October segued into November, December and then early Spring...Hermione's heart started to break noticing Draco becoming more and more withdrawn and reclusive. She had tried to follow him one afternoon and noticed him going into the Room of Requirement, which she'd thought odd. Using Harry's map, she was able to confirm that it was exactly where Malfoy was headed during most of his free time. It didn't make any sense, unless he'd just needed a place to get away from everyone.

It wasn't until Ron was poisoned, that Hermione realized something wasn't right. Draco had looked positively ill after that, and she was beginning to suspect that Harry might be right after all. She'd gone into the Room of Hidden Things, but hadn't found anything suspicious...at least not initially.

It wasn't until early April that Hermione discovered the Vanishing Cabinet...similar to the one at Borgin and Burke's that she'd seen over the summer. A few days of research and Hermione had discovered that twin cabinets could be used as a passageway of sorts...and then the truth hit her. Draco was a Death Eater and was trying to fix the cabinet to possibly allow Death Eaters into the school. Unsure of what to do, Hermione decided to go to Dumbeldore directly with her suspicions.

That had been difficult, as he was gone a lot and didn't seem to be available other than his tutorials with Harry. When Draco and Harry had gotten into their duel in Moaning Mrytle's bathroom and Harry had used an unknown curse and nearly killed Draco, Hermione decided she needed to do something.

So that night, she'd snuck into the infirmary with basket in hand, and waited disillusioned by Draco's bedside until he woke up...which he did eventually.

Cancelling the charm, Hermione was almost amused by Draco's surprise at seeing her sitting there, basket in hand. Placing the offering on the side table next to his bed, Hermione watched as Draco eyed her suspiciously, unsure of what to do. Deciding she would need to be the one to break the ice, Hermione sighed softly and then spoke...but not before casting a silent 'muffliato.'

"Are you alright?" Hermione queried with concern.

"Why are you here Granger?" Malfoy asked harshly.

"I thought you might be hungry...well at least at some point. Look, I don't know what Harry was thinking, and I'm not here to make excuses for him. I'm here because I know what your doing Malfoy, and what I want to know is why."

Draco's face didn't give away anything, which Hermione thought impressive as he stared her down haughtily. "I don't know..."

"What I'm talking about...yeah, yeah...save it Draco."

Draco eyes did widen at the use of his name and he eyed the basket and then Hermione...his eyes full of questions.

"Vanishing cabinet, Room of Hidden things...passageway to Borgin and Burke's...you have the Mark...I'd figured it out for myself, thanks."

Draco sneered angrily. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about mudblood!"

"Yes, I'm a mudblood...and a fucking brilliant one at that." Hermione smirked and watched Malfoy's eyes widen at the use of the profanity. "You've been given a task...but what took me a while to figure out is what exactly that task is...it wasn't just about letting Death Eaters into the school...because that doesn't necessarily give Voldemort a strategic advantage unless Dumbledore is gone...so what? The snake couldn't do the job himself and forced you to do it for him? Threatening your family no doubt?" Hermione shook her head in disgust and gave Malfoy an enigmatic look.

"You think you're so smart, don't you Granger?"

"Well, yes." Hermione smiled. "I've been watching you this year and blast my kind heart, was actually worried for you despite how hatefully you've treated me over the years. Your kind wants me dead...I'm a stain on Wizarding kind...blah blah blah...I've heard it since I was eleven and it's as pathetic now as it was then. I'm a Muggle born, smarter than anyone in this school...smart enough to figure out your plan and if you think you can retaliate against me, I've made provisions against that too."

Draco looked taken aback. "Really, in what way?"

"Oh please, you think I'm going to tell you that?" Hermione chuckled. "We are on opposite sides in this fight Malfoy and as much as I know you hate me...I don't hate you and I won't be responsible for you losing your parents...which I'm sure is what the impetus was and is for you doing this little mission. Dumbledore I'm sure knows...the man knows everything...so if he's allowing you to do this, there's probably a reason."

Draco sat back and gave Hermione a considering look. "I think you're full of shit, Granger."

"And I think your smarter than you look right now, Malfoy." Hermione bit back. "I just need to know...are you sure you want to go through with this? If there was a way out for you and your family, would you take it?"

Draco sneered. "You don't know what you're talking about Granger."

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe not, but I do know that you're not a killer Malfoy...a prat and a git...sure...not a killer, and I'll never believe that. I don't think you're a good person Malfoy, but I don't think your irredeemable either. Perhaps you'll prove me wrong, or right...either way...I don't want to see you get hurt Draco...no one deserves to be beholden to that thing."

Draco's face didn't give any of what he was feeling away but his eyes were filled with emotions that Hermione couldn't give name to.

As she got up to leave, Draco's hand clamped onto her arm to stop her. "You've been the one leaving the treats in the Astronomy Tower all year?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes."

"Why?"

Tilting her head, and considering the wizard before her, Hermione said with feeling. "Because no one deserves to be alone."

And with that Hermione stood up, leaving a very confused wizard wondering what the fuck just happened and what he was going to do about it.


End file.
